People are attacking this fascinating concept phone, but here's the real story behind it

A rectangle, about the size of an index card, usually either
white, black, or chrome. The 2010 iPhone, but slicker. The
most
innovative device in the world right now's main selling point
is a minor improvement to the battery-replacement system.

Tech industry veterans Christina Cyr and Linda Inagawa have set
out, like any pair of gadget whizes with a disruptive idea, to
fix that with a revolution. They plan to build a circular
two-screen clam shell phone over the course of the next
half-decade. Their design, which they call the "Cyrcle," would
provide as much or more screen area as current devices. But users
could carry it around as a wearable.

"We wanted to make the phone versatile
and usable," Inagawa told Tech Insider.

While they plan to market it to men and women, they've made a big
deal of the fact that it would solve a problem women in
particular face with their devices.

"You wouldn’t have to put it down or put it somewhere else
because it just doesn’t fit in your pockets," Inagawa says.

The idea here is that women's clothing — especially formal
clothing — often comes with small pockets or none at all.

Cyr came up with the original idea for the phone, and the pair
have worked up some very rudimentary prototypes to
demonstrate the concept. They brought a 2G version to the Mobile
World Congress in Barcelona a few weeks ago that was made with a
kit for hardware enthusiasts and plastic from a 3D printer. It's
all very much in the tradition of open-source Kickstarter makers
who regularly put low-cost prototypes on public display to
attract interest in the early stages of a product's design. And
that makes sense, given that Cyr and Inagawa plan to fund their
"feminine forward" device on Kickstarter.

But upon reading about the Cyrcle, the internet has labeled the
phone sexist. The Daily Mail called it a "sexism
row," saying that the device is meant to fit in handbags. (In
fact, according to Cyrcle, it's meant to enable people to
carry phones around without pockets or handbags.)

A
rudimentary prototype they brought to Mobile World
Congress.Dtoor

The best example of the attack shows up in
this article in The Telegraph with the headline "Company
designs circular phone for women — because they struggle with
rectangles."

The author writes that "the phone's shell has the
unmistakably low-quality aesthetic of 3D-printed objects," and
cites "completely tone-deaf promotional material."

She cites words like "unattractive" and "sensual" used on
Cyrcle's website.

But here they are in their original context, on a page now
removed from the website:

Our generation has been brainwashed into thinking that the
rectangular shape is attractive simply because it is easy to
manufacture. Nature itself is filled with very few
rectangles. Why aren’t we striving to make a more
natural and sensual form? The rectangular shape
does not serve the needs of women in many ways. First, truly
feminine clothing does not normally have pockets, and if it
does, the pockets are frequently too small or not shaped to
accept a large rectangular object... Furthermore, for
texting or messaging, there is nothing less striking than a
bank of moms at a volleyball practice pecking like
chickens into their mobile phones. One look and you
instantly understand how fundamental it is for women to
discreetly communicate in order to always be connected, and
how unattractive the process is currently.

The focus on feminine attractiveness is questionable marketing
for a company trying to present a feminist product. Phones
are style objects, but major companies hire people to market them
in subtler
gendered ways without crossing lines. Part of the problem
here is that Cyr and Inagawa, in the habit of gadget geeks,
took subtext and made it text.

But there are real arguments for the Cyrcle concept's value,
according to the company.

"What we’re working with right now," Inagawa
says, "and what we showed at the 4-year booth at Mobile [World
Congress in] Barcelona is a first baby step in our plan. That’s
the biggest misconception that’s flying around the internet right
now. We would be laughed out the universe if we tried to sell
that."

She says she only expects their plan to pan out
if they build a phone that can compete with the big, rectangle
brands for quality and look good as a wearable. Future versions
will be metal and feature large, dual screens. Again and again
Cyr and Inagawa point to the concept's practical benefits.

People who have played with the phones and talked to
Inagawa, like
CNET's Richard Trenholm, have generally been impressed. Cyr
says that while their focus is on female consumers, they expect
men to be major consumers of the final product. In fact, she
says, much early interest in the device has come
from men.

Another view of the
prototype. The final phone will be read in several years. They
say it will feature a big, dual screen, 4G software, and high
speeds.Rafi Letzter/Tech
Insider

Cyr and Inagawa plan to move forward with plans for a
hackathon to innovate on the original concept, as well as a
Kickstarter campaign to raise funds to grow their company.
Together, they call themselves "Dtoor," or "designing the
opposite of a rectangle." They plan to debut a more mature, 4G,
dual-screen design in three to five years.

"I think it’s exciting to think out
of the box. It’s exciting to have an idea and to actually craft
it and make it happen. and you know, let the negative naysayers
say what they’re gonna say. But we believe in what we’re doing
doing, and we’re going to keep putting one foot in front of the
other."

But it's hard to avoid the sense that this is a major
stumbling block for a small company at this stage in its
development. Femininity generally isn't prized in the
male-dominated tech world, and it's easy to pile on
attacking a company that tries to put it first.

Cyr says she appreciates the feedback from The Telegraph
and women on Twitter, because it's helped them become more
thoughtful about their branding.

Inagawa, hoarse after her return from Barcelona, closed our
conversation with the question, "What would you do, if you were
in our position?"

In the face of the internet's fury, it's hard to know what
the right answer would be.